1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the technology of muting devices in the surroundings, in particular to a method and apparatus for muting a sounder device.
2. Description of Prior Art
With the increasing popularity of mobile phone, it is common for a person to carry several mobile phones along with him/her. For example, the simultaneous use of a GSM (Global System of Mobile Communication) phone and a PHS (Personal Handset System) is popular in most office area, since the PHS can only be used within the office area, and the GSM phone is for use outside the office area. To meet different requirements, the two types of phones are usually carried together. Also, considering fees and signal strength, the PHS having lower fees is often used in the urban area where the signal strength is higher, while the GSM mobile phone is used at the time of traveling outside the urban area or roaming to other cities, where the PHS has poor quality of communication signal and disability of roaming. Further, some people may carry both GSM and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) mobile phones, for the reason of fee and/or roaming situation. Also, usage of two GSM phones at the same time may also be done due to consideration of fee and/or business contact.
It is necessary to mute a mobile phone on some occasions, such as at a meeting or watching a performance. If a person carries more than one mobile phone, he or she has to mute these phones one by one. Moreover, the muting process varies with difference phones.
Even if the muting process is same for the multiple phones, the one-by-one operation is rather troublesome. Sometimes, one of the phones may be missed, for example, it is left in a bag, leading to unnecessary embarrassment and trouble.
Similarly, it becomes popular to use a notebook computer as a voice communication terminal. As an example, the notebook computer can be utilized to make a SKYPE (one of ultra definite network phone tools) call. Accordingly, the notebook computer enables a ringing act upon the reception of an incoming call. It is thus necessary to mute the notebook computer at a meeting, for example.
Instant communication applications installed on the notebook computer may make a sound for notifying the arrival of a message when it receives an incoming message. In the same way, some networked game machines may make an alarm upon receiving certain information. Some mobile devices can make an alarm at the run-down of battery, whether there is a messaging act or not. Therefore, a muting process is required for all of the above situations.
Association setting is necessary for these devices with sound-making capability on many occasions so as to quickly and easily remove unwanted background sound and noise disturbance. Taking the case of answering a call on one of multiple. devices as an example, without the association setting, the user has to manually mute the rest of the devices one by one, resulting in a hurry-scurry scene. If background sound is not removed in a noisy scenario such as watching TV or playing music, it is difficult to hear the voice on the phone clearly, and the background scenario may be exposed to the other party over the phone. This necessitates a mechanism for automatically muting the devices in the surroundings.